Whole Chicken Roast....

My daughter just turned 3months last week and trust me when I say she keeps me busy !!! She really does. So between feeding her, changing diapers and cooking lunch for my husband and mom it has been a HECTIC week. But talking about my first receipe - my daughter has this habit of stretching herself after the feeding. Her way of saying, I have worked too hard; I am exhausted and am ready to sleep - get my bed ready !!!! Anyway, my husband makes fun of her saying that she looks like a 'Uricha Kozhi' (naked chicken) when she does those stretches. And she really does - with her hands up in the air and legs tucked close to the stomach she closely resembles one.

So we were making fun of her one day and I started telling my mom how I bake a whole chicken for her Son-in-law and how much he loved it. I was hoping to get my mother excited with the talk about all the masala that went into it but instead my husband got excited. It had been long since I had baked one for him and so I agreed to make him the Spicy Roasted Chicken this week. The best thing about this receipe is that it fires up a party and whether you are hosting a party with drinks or a regular dinner party you will have your guests scrambling for more till the chicken is licked to its bones. And plating a whole chicken rather than pieces of it is like watching a catwalk and admiring a dress rather than just picking a dress from a retail shop. You will have to cook it to believe me !!

Things U Need:

Whole chicken

To Marinate

• chilli powder- 3 table spoon
• coriander powder- 3 table spoon
• ginger garlic paste - 3 table spoon
• turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon
• garam masala - 1 teaspoon
• meat masala - 2 teaspoon
• fennal seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• lemon juice from one lemon
• butter 1/4 stick
• salt to taste

To Bake :

• onion
• butter1/4 stick

Marination :

Clean the chicken - wash thoroughly with water and pat dry with paper towel (else the masala would not stick to the meat), remove the skin carefully. If u like u can use the chicken with the skin too. I wouldn't recommend it though. Mix all the ingredients (refer 'To Marinate' section) into a paste. Rub the paste over the chicken throughly and keep it in the fridge for atleast 5 hrs. Normaly I marinate the chicken in the morning and bake it in the evening.

To Bake :

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the chicken in a oven proof dish. Cover it with aluminium foil and bake it for 30 mins on one side . Take the dish out . Flip the chicken over ,cover it again with the foil and bake the other side for another 30 mins. After 30 mins remove the foil and put the sliced onion and butter chunks over the chicken and bake it for another 45 mins. Take it out when the onions are rosted and mixed well with the masala. The chicken will be dark brown in color and will have a nice aroma from the masalas and the rosted onion.

TIP:

• I use homemade garam-masala instead of buying it at the grocery stores. Roast 3tbs of fennel seeds, 3tbs of cinnamon sticks, 10 cloves, 10 cardomoms and 1tsp of black pepper-corns together. Powder the mixture and store it in a air-tight jar. I find the homemade masala has a better aroma than the brought-out ones. Try and let me know.

NOTE :

• The baking time is 2 hrs. it might vary according to the size of the chicken and the diffrent type of ovens. I know some of u cooks might think 2 hrs is a little long. But trust me, I have tested this recipe so many times and the outcome is awesome. The chicken will be roasted well and will be too spicy and hot. So if u are weak at heart then beware of the spice !!!